Four keys to being a dynamic coach on mission

It’s Thanksgiving week – a time to eat amazing food with people we love…hopefully. It is also a time to express our gratitude for the blessings our Lord as given to each of us. One of those blessings, no doubt, may be a coach who has been a blessing to many.

Being a Christian athlete these days isn’t easy. And neither is trying to help form young athletes as a coach.

I have had the opportunity to speak to coaches across the country – from college to grade school to CYO. Men and Women who love sports and the youth, but may or may not care to engage in the mission of the Catholic Church or have the confidence to do it. This mission is that of Christ Himself, the salvation of souls.

I see sports as one of the greatest contemporary opportunities to form and evangelize young people. I also see the role of the coach as a key facet of this work.

You may know coaches that struggle to engage his/her players outside the X’s and O’s of the game, especially when it comes to faith. You may be that coach. I want to share with you 4 pillars that I believe can help any coach start to live the mission of Christ well.

1. Help form proper identity and self worth.

2. Preach the gospel, and communicate it through the sharing of your life in mentorship

3. Point them to Jesus Christ as a life well lived – this is the framework to talk about virtues/character/integrity…in imitation of Christ (see 1 Cor 11:1).

4. Show them that God has willed (or desired) them to be an athlete, and wants to use every aspect of the experience to make them dynamic disciples – to sanctify them.

These four pillars of coaching in mission are simple and accessible for every coach, no matter how much they know about the faith. They also allow for the creative genius that each coach possesses to come to the surface and expose their own individual brilliance.

Young athletes are usually impacted heavily by what their coaches do and say. They don’t like to fail or even disappoint. As coaches, and even parents, I think it can be easy to forget how impactful our words and actions are.

Our current culture tends to praise talent, accomplishment/achievement. Celebrating success is often a good thing. The problem comes when, for years, kids get used to the pat on their back being related to what they achieve. A sense of self-worth gets connected to this. That shapes their identity in a superficial way. “I am good at sports. People always praise me when I achieve something sports related. I need to maintain my success as an athlete. This is where I receive validation.” And so the internal talk continues.

When young people build their identity, their self-worth, on a sense of achievement, they are building it on sand. The only lasting sense of identity is that which is true – they are a son or daughter of God. Nothing will ever take away their self-worth. They will always be loved and cherished. This knowledge helps young people develop a lasting foundation. Coaches have a unique role in helping to shape this identity.

Some ideas to help young athletes shape proper identity:

praise effort more than outcome

give equal affection and attention to all players, not just the starters

Criticize lack of effort more often than execution failure

Tell them they are sons or daughters of God; weave this into the team culture

We don’t want young men and women unable to accept correction. But the more they understand their true identity, the more confidence they will possess. This makes genuine coaching easier to receive and process.

By the time athletes get to the college level, they are so wrapped up in their sports, they struggle when their eligibility is up.

The second pillar: sharing the gospel

We live in a culture that no longer thinks Jesus Christ is relevant, important or even real. The fact that God became man and died for our sins so that we might have eternal life is the greatest piece of information in all of history. Nothing can rival this. He knew we were separated from Him because of our sin, yet He wanted to bridge that gap. Dying on the cross shut the door on that old chapter of humanity and opened a new one, a New Covenant to be precise. All we have to do it repent, believe and faithfully follow Him by living a life of prayer, fellowship, Sacramental life and adherence to the teachings of the apostles as given via the Church.

This is where coaches come in and the second pillar: as a megaphone into young people’s lives, we need to share this story.

Preaching the gospel can be an intimidating thing. The important thing is that we talk about Jesus Christ and the necessity of knowing Him and developing a deep friendship with Him.

Coaches have an amazing audience in each of their athletes. With that is a responsibility to proclaim the gospel.

Some other suggestions:

1. Use your own story to share the message that God loved us, died for us, and invites us to have a friendship with him. No doubt your life is fascinating and filled with “God moments”. Tell them. Everyone loves a story, including yours.
2. Invest a bit of time in your athletes. Become a mentor (age appropriate) to each athlete, even if just touching base for 5 minutes every week or two. This investment will make the opportunity to share the gospel even more effective.

I hope you are willing to be bold so that your athletes might hear the good news from someone they trust.

Upcoming Events

Time

October 26 (Friday) - March 10 (Sunday)

Location

Nelson-Atkins

4525 Oak Street, Kansas City, MO

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Napoleon: Power and Splendor marks the first exploration of the majesty and the artistic, political and ideological significance of Napoleon’s imperial court from Napoleon’s self-appointment as First Consul in 1799

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Napoleon: Power and Splendor marks the first exploration of the majesty and the artistic, political and ideological significance of Napoleon’s imperial court from Napoleon’s self-appointment as First Consul in 1799 to his abdication in 1814. The Imperial Household was a key institution during Napoleon’s reign. It was responsible for the daily lives of the Imperial family and the day-to-day existence of former general Bonaparte, who became Emperor Napoleon.

The exhibition aims to re-create the ambiance and capture the spirit that prevailed in the French court during the Empire. A selection of works, most of which have never before been exhibited in North America, will reveal the power and splendor of the Imperial Household and its role in fashioning a monarchic identity for the new emperor, his family and loyal entourage.

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If you are new to homeschooling, a well-seasoned veteran, or still on the fence trying to decide what direction is best for your family, we would love to have you

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If you are new to homeschooling, a well-seasoned veteran, or still on the fence trying to decide what direction is best for your family, we would love to have you join us for an information meeting. We have programs available starting at four years of age through high school. At the information meeting, we will be sharing with you about the Christian, classical, and community model that is Classical Conversations. There will be plenty of time for you to ask any questions you might have and also an opportunity to look through some of the curricula we use. Please come join us no matter your level of interest. We would love the opportunity to share with you what has been such a great blessing to our own families. Please RSVP via through the website under the events tab. It is okay to RSVP even if it’s an hour before the meeting. When you RSVP we’ll give you directions on where to enter the building. See you soon!

Time

(Tuesday) 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Location

Deerbrook Covenant Church

200 NE Tudor Road, Lee's Summit, MO 64086

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Fear-Not is a Christ-Centered Support Group for Anxiety and Depression.
We are using material based on the Christian 12 Steps; Serenity Prayer also Anxiety Centre
http://www.anxietycentre.com/
also "The Anxiety/Phobia Workbook" by Edmund Bourne.

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Fear-Not is a Christ-Centered Support Group for Anxiety and Depression.
We are using material based on the Christian 12 Steps; Serenity Prayer also Anxiety Centre

http://www.anxietycentre.com/

also “The Anxiety/Phobia Workbook” by Edmund Bourne. (probably find at the library or on sale online) We have a Yahoo Group (link below) you can join…there is a lot of information in the folders on stress and anxiety… Group home page:

Just stay calm….you are not losing your mind…you are just under a lot of stress….so no big surprise that you are having an emotional reaction that seems very strong….your body is sending you a message “I am on overload”…warning, warning be wise and heed the warning. I was in the deepest miry pit imaginable…and if the Lord can bring me out, I know He can also help others who are struggling.

We meet on Tuesdays from 7-8:30 pm each week. Email fear-not@att.net for more information.

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Amidst a culture shifting like the tide, it is imperative that students are ready to defend “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3).

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Amidst a culture shifting like the tide, it is imperative that students are ready to defend “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). So mark your calendars for Ready, a youth conference held in Kansas City, MO on January 25-26, 2019. This conference features the following guest speakers: Sam Bierig, Brian Davis, Rechab Gray, Owen Strachan, and Jared C. Wilson.

An additional concert with nobigdyl. will be held on January 25. Concert tickets are included in conference registration or can be purchased separately.

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nobigdyl. is an independent hip-hop artist from Nashville, TN. He released his debut album Canopy, which reached #7 on iTunes Hip-Hop Charts, in February 2017. The album was met with

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nobigdyl. is an independent hip-hop artist from Nashville, TN. He released his debut album Canopy, which reached #7 on iTunes Hip-Hop Charts, in February 2017. The album was met with high praise, with the debut single Purple Dinosaur’s video being featured this summer in Journey’s stores across the U.S. He has since released a stand-alone single, Shakira, with Marty of Social Club, whose video has garnered 100,000 views in the first month. As the founding member of indie tribe., a collective of artists independent of mainstream ideals, he seeks to light up the darkness through music. $20 concert only.

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Come for a quiet, relaxing day of encouragement in the middle of the school year! These special retreats are open for all homeschool moms (or those interested in homeschooling). Light

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Come for a quiet, relaxing day of encouragement in the middle of the school year! These special retreats are open for all homeschool moms (or those interested in homeschooling). Light breakfast refreshments, hot drinks, and a beautiful, delicious catered lunch will indulge you as you glean wisdom from God’s word through speaker sessions and visiting with other homeschool moms. The Midwest Parent Educators (MPE) homeschool organization is hosting the annual Women’s Encouragement Day

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Shen Yun invites you to travel back to the magical world of ancient China. Experience a lost culture through the breathtaking art of classical Chinese dance, and see legends

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Shen Yun invites you to travel back to the magical world of ancient China. Experience a lost culture through the breathtaking art of classical Chinese dance, and see legends come to life. Shen Yun pushes the boundaries of the performing arts to make this possible, with a unique blend of colorful costuming, high-tech backdrops, and live orchestra. Be prepared for a theater experience like no other.

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Join Jackson County Historical Society on Holocaust Remembrance Day for a screening of Big Sonia.
Standing tall at 4’8″, Sonia is one of the last remaining Holocaust survivors in Kansas City

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Join Jackson County Historical Society on Holocaust Remembrance Day for a screening of Big Sonia.

Standing tall at 4’8″, Sonia is one of the last remaining Holocaust survivors in Kansas City and one of the only survivors there who speaks publicly about her wartime experience. Sonia’s enormous personality and fragile frame mask the horrors she endured. At 15 she watched her mother disappear behind gas chamber doors. Sonia’s teenage years were a blur of concentration camps and death marches. On liberation day, she was accidentally shot through the chest, yet again miraculously survived. Sonia is the ultimate survivor, a bridge between cultures and generations. Her story must never be forgotten.